Being a look back at cards from the Star Trek CCG, and what I thought of them back when they were fresh and new... in EPISODE order. Next up, the one card pulled from Angel One...
PICTURE: Though few characters are in the frame (oh, I just noticed a second woman behind Mistress Beata), an example of both a male and a female showcases the Matriarchal aspect of this Society. Beata is bigger in the shot, and confident-looking in her "power color" outfit (without looking masculine). The man at the back looks feminized and is showing all the cleavage she isn't, among other things. The flora on the other side of the window is pleasant dressing to an already good card. Going for a 3.8.
LORE: Written okay, and certainly describing Angel One's society, but missing a phrase that would have made it more universal a dilemma. Only 2.5, in this case.
TREK SENSE: If all Matriarchal Societies are like Angel One's, then yes, this is totally sensical. These aren't just women in charge, they're chauvinist women who don't really respect men. Another example is the Skreeans from the DS9 episode "Sanctuary". In these two episodes, you needed female personnel around to deal with these people because they didn't trust men or respect their authority/competence. Now, you could argue that a woman from Angel One would recognize a big bad Klingon male's authority, or that a male with loads of Diplomacy could theoretically convince the matriarchs of their competence. The card covers none of these possibilities. One problem is that 2 females are needed. That's fine for a large Away Team where you don't want to make it seem like that woman is just a token female, but what if she's all alone when she beams down? What's even more problematic though, is that the dilemma can be seeded under planets we know not to be Matriarchal Societies. Federation worlds are forbidden to discriminate by gender, and on Qo'noS, women can't serve on the High Council. Must I mention the Ferengi's views on females? The dilemma can be taken like this though: The Away Team encounters the matriarchal ATTITUDE of that episode's guest star(s). Not a Society, but still, a group of women connected to the mission give your guys some trouble. With that in mind, the score levels up at 3.5.
SEEDABILITY: Afavorite wall because 1) females are generally rarer than males, and 2) they can be excised from an Away Team through the use of other gender-related dilemmas. Exploring the truth of that first point, you'll discover that some affiliations are much more vulnerable to Matriarchal Society. The 3 DQ affiliations, for example, would do well to include Non-Aligned females in their Away Teams. Klingons, Ferengi, Cardassians... they're rather low on female personnel too. The Federation, Romulans and Bajorans do better, and the Borg are totally immune to gender-related dilemmas. You can either lead with female-targeting dilemmas to make sure the wall sticks around, or you can put them after Matriarchal Society to make sure THEY hit. One of the best of these is Female's Love Interest because it relocates the female so that she's not just filtered, she's not available on later turns unless she's rescued from the end of the spaceline first. The real killer, though, is Talosian Cage, which has heavy requirements and can discard 2 females. It's great either before or after Matriarchal Society. Kidnappers could be good if you have SECURITY in the area. The Romance dilemmas aren't bad filters because of their countdown. Strange Bedfellows could lead to a discard, but is usually a simple filter. Anaphasic Organism is too easy to counter, and Distraction isn't a safe bet. This dilemma still has kick, and so, a straight 4.
TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Just one guy's opinion, of course.
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